The Angels’ Kole Calhoun steals second as DJ LeMahieu fields a throw for the Rockies. (Norm Hall, Getty Images)

ANGELS 11, ROCKIES 0
At Salt River Fields

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — That was a Bronx cheer that bubbled up in the sixth inning Tuesday at Salt River Fields when Rockies catcher Audry Perez singled on a grounder to right field.

It was the Rockies’ first hit of the game. Despite sporting an A-side lineup that looked a lot like what they’ll use on opening day, the Rockies struggled against Angels fill-in Drew Rucinski. Anaheim won 11-0.

UPDATE: Hartford decided on the Yard Goats and unveiled the decision at a news conference Wednesday. They’ve hired a firm to come up with a logo and design, the same firm that handled the Richmond Flying Squirrels and Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

Jorge De La Rosa pitches during team workouts on Day 8 of spring training on Feb. 28, 2015 in Scottsdale, Ariz. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jorge De La Rosa appears to be on track for the regular season. So does Jhoulys Chacin.

De La Rosa, the Rockies’ No. 1 pitcher, skipped his first two Cactus League starts because of tightness in his left groin, but the lefty is confident he’ll be ready to take his turn when the regular season rolls around.

Pitching in a “B” game against the Arizona Diamondback on a practice diamond at Salt River Fields on Sunday morning, De La Rosa threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit. He threw 25 pitches, 16 for strikes, and was in command. After leaving the game, De La Rosa threw 16 more bullpen pitches and should be able to pitch a full three innings in his next outing.

In regular Cactus League action at Salt River Fields, the Rockies beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2.

Chacin, coming back from last year’s shoulder injury, continues to progress. The right-handed pitched three scoreless innings, giving up four hits and striking out one. A double-play grounder helped him escape his second inning unscathed.

Goodyear, Ariz. — Carlos Gonzalez is starting to feel like CarGo again.
He hit an opposite-field, ground-rule double in the first inning against the Reds on Saturday afternoon.

“I feel good, better than I expected after I didn’t play for, what, six months?” said Gonzalez, who’s coming off left knee surgery last August. “You always have your doubts when coming off a long break, but I’m seeing the ball really, really well. And I’m making good contact, which is important for spring training.”

Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez says he’s starting to round into form after playing in just 70 games in 2014.(Mike Zarrilli, Getty Images)

The Rockies shut out the Reds 1-0, with six pitchers holding the Reds to only three hits.

“It was good all the way around,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We’ve been good this spring. We have guys working on things, but at the same time they have been able to go out there and perform on the mound.”

The Rockies got only seven hits, but CarGo had two of them. He was especially pleased with his double to left.

“That was a big at-bat for me,” he said. “That was one of the things that I set on my mind before the game. Just try to hit the ball the other way and get some bat speed and hit the ball in the air. All of the contact that I made before was groundballs. The timing is going to come back the more I play, and I feel good.”

San Diego catcher Tim Federowicz applies a late tag on Colorado Rockies’ Rosell Herrera who scores on a single during a spring training game on Sunday, March 8, 2015, in Peoria, Ariz. (Lenny Ignelzi, The Associated Press)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Spring training is all about building up starting pitchers.

For the Rockies, Friday was a very good day as starters Tyler Matzek and Jon Gray turned in solid performances.

The Rockies beat the White Sox 5-2 at at Salt River Fields. Colorado improved to 5-4-2.

The lefty Matzek, a lock to be in the regular-season starting rotation, bounced back from a tough last outing to pitch a terrific three innings against the Chicago White Sox at Salt River Fields. He slowed down his delivery, commanded his fastball and worked efficiently. He threw 38 pitches, 25 for strikes. (See above video).

The result was three scoreless innings in which he allowed on hit, walked one and struck out three.

He opened the game by striking out Chicago’s Adam Eaton, got Emilio Bonicacio to ground out to second and then whiffed Jose Abrue.

“He was sharp,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He had good command of his fastball today. And he also threw some good changeups, which is something he’s been working on this spring. He threw a couple to get back into counts, which was good to see.”

But early on, this Cactus League affair resembled so many road games from last season. Milwaukee right-hander Wily Peralta dominated the Rockies for three innings, allowing only an infield hit to prospect Dustin Garneau. Peralta, his sinker extra heavy, induced nine groundball outs.

The Brewers beat the Rockies 5-3, dropping the Rockies to 4-4-2 in spring play.

Colorado got on the board in the fourth inning on a solo home run center fielder Drew Stubbs. He turned on a two-out, 2-3 pitch by Tyler Thornburg and planted it onto the berm beyond the left-field wall.

Infield prospect Trevor Story entered the game as a substitute at shortstop and hit a two-run, opposite-field homer to right in the seventh. He simply muscled the ball over the right-field fence against Brewers reliever Michael Blazek.

“It’s a big park, you have to hit it well to go opposite-field here,” manager Walt Weiss said. ”

Hits

Reliever John Marshall, making a strong early bid for a spot in the bullpen, pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two.

Misses

* Lefty reliever Rex Brothers still has some leftover 2014 kinks to work out. In the seventh, he walked Shane Peterson, advanced him on a wild pitch, and then gave up a run-scoring single to Nevin Ashley. Brothers short-hopped a couple of pitches, bringing back memories of last season. The good news: He righted himself and escaped, having given up just one run.

Asked if he was at all concerned about Brothers’ performance, Weiss answered: “No, I thought he reeled it right back in. Are you talking about the pitch he bounced? Well, he came right back and reeled it right back in. I thought it was a good day for him.”

* Rockies starter Gus Schlosser, the side-arm right-hander acquired in a trade with Atlanta, got roughed up in the first inning. Back-to-back single by Jean Segura and Carlos Gomez set the table for a two-run double off the left-center wall by Aramis Ramirez. Schlosser fared better in the second, yielding only an infield single.

“I thought (his outing) was decent,” Weiss said. “He made some good pitches and got some pitches over the plate, too. But that’s why we’re here, to work.”

The Rockies are building up Schlosser to be a starter, at least at this point in spring training. He could end up in the bullpen, but more likely is headed to Triple-A ball.

* Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez, coming back from knee surgery, is still trying to find his swing. He grounded out three times and is now 1-for-6 in three Cactus League games.

Up Next

The Rockies host the Chicago White Sox in a 2:10 p.m. (MDT) game at Salt River Fields. Lefty Tyler Matzek starts for the Rockies opposite White Sox lefty Jose Quintana.

New reliever John Axford, long known for his mustache, just might be in the running for the best facial hair. But he’s not sure if he’s got enough going on to overtake Blackmon.

Rocklies relief pitcher John Axford. (Colorado Rockies)

“I have no idea if I do,” the Canadian-born Axford said. “Charlie’s is probably thicker than mine, but I think mine has a better cornucopia of colors, so there’s that.”

In 2011, Axford, then pitching for Milwaukee Brewers, won the 2011 Mustached American of the Year by the American Mustache Institute (AMI).

Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

“We are honored to give this award to the Ax man,” AMI Chairman Aaron Perlut said at the time. “Even though he is Canadian, we believe John represents everything else the Mustached American community values: humor, intelligence and good looks. He is also very tall.”

The 6-foot-5 Axford stopped shaving around Christmastime, but he figures he’ll shave at some point and return to his Rollie Fingers style mustache.

Rockies catcher Michael McKenry (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

So, what’s with the plethora of bristles? Axford, from Simcoe, Ontario, thinks he’s got the answer.

“I guess it’s about plaids and the beards now. People like the lumberjack look,” he said. “As a Canadian, I know that we have always had beards and flannel, so I guess Americans are just behind.”

PEORIA, Ariz. — Troy Tulowitzki doesn’t make a lot of spring training road trips, but he was glad to be on the diamond Wednesday afternoon against the Mariners at Peoria Sports Complex.

In just his second Cactus League game, the Rockies all-star shortstop ripped a solo homer to right-center off right-hander Erasmo Ramierz in the first inning. In the bottom of the inning, Tulo made a leaping catch on a line drive by Kyle Seager, robbing him of a hit.

“It is encouraging, to see him go up and get that ball on defense, especially,” manager Walt Weiss said. “It was good to see. We knew he could hit, but to see him move around like that on defense was encouraging.”

Three of the Rockies’ top prospects combined to score three runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Mariners 4-1. Ryan Casteel hit a run-scoring double to chase home Mike Tauchman; Will Swanner hit a single to score Casteel; and Kyle Parker blasted a double to score Swanner.

It was just a half day’s work for Tulowitzki, who walked in his second at-bat, but it was a satisfying afternoon. (See video below).

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Outfielder Charlie Blackmon, slowed by an abdominal strain, made his Cactus League debut. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.

“It was good to be back out there with my teammates,” Blackmon said. “I was also happy that I wasn’t too tentative out there.”

Blackmon’s diagnosis of his ailment was short and sweet.

“There is something in my ab that kind of hurts a little bit when I swing, but now it doesn’t hurt anymore,” he deadpanned. “So you might want to stick with just ab strain.”Read more…

Scottsdale, Ariz. — It was a super Tuesday for two Rockies starters and “The Bull.”

In Glendale, pitching for one split-squad team, right-hander Eddie Butler pitched three solid innings against the Dodgers, allowing no runs, no hits and striking out three. His only blemish was a walk. It’s too early to be making predictions, but Butler is pushing hard for a rotation spot.

The Rockies and Dodgers finished in a 2-2 tie.

Playing at Salt River Fields against the Mariners, right-hander Kyle Kendrick did a 180-degree from his initial start in a Rockies uniform. In two innings of work Tuesday, the former Phllies pitcher allowed no runs on a two hits and struck out three. Kendrick forced the Mariners into three groundball outs.

Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario smashed two homers and drove in five runs against the Mariners in Cactus League play Tuesday at Salt River Fields. (Denver Post file)

Designated hitter Wilin Rosario — aka “The Bull” — smashed two home runs and drove in five against the Mariners. (See video below). The first homer was an opposite-field, two-run homer to right off of lefty Roenis Elias. Rosario followed up with a no-doubt three-run homer to left off of right-hander Dominic Leone.

All told, the Rockies had 11 hits in their 9-3 victory over Seattle. The Rockies are now 3-3-2 in Cactus League play.

Kendrick was pleased with his improvement from his first game, in which he gave up three hits and a run in his two innings.

“My last time out, I felt like I had never pitched before,” he said. “I felt maybe the last start I was rushing a little bit. Today I was trying to stay back … and my stuff felt a lot better today. Hopefully the next start it’s still there and I keep moving forward and building up arm strength.”

Neither did much in their three innings on the field. Tulo went 0-for-2 and CarGo 0-for-1 with a walk, but just being back on the field mattered a bunch. The Rockies, for the record finished in a 2-2 tie with the Cincinnati Reds, leaving the Rockies with a 2-3-1 spring record.

Rockies teammates Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki were back on the field together again on Monday at Salt River Fields. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)

“It was nice to put back on the uniform and get back into the game mode,” Tulowitzki said. “I think I turn into a different person at game time. This felt different than a usual spring game.”

Gonzalez said: “I felt really good. I was a little anxious at first, but I kind of let it go after that. The most important thing was that I was pain free.”

That’s the Cliff’s Notes version of the Rockies’ game against the Padres Sunday afternoon at Peoria Sports Complex.

The Rockies beat the Padres 7-5 to improve to 2-3 in Cactus League play.

Matzek, who said he was rushing his delivery — see video above — and was unable to pitch consistently inside, got pounded. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. How rough was the lefty’s first Cactus League start? He threw 42 pitches, just 18 for strikes.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jon Gray throws against the San Diego Padres during the spring training game at Peoria Stadium on March 8, 2015. (Christian Petersen, Getty Images)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Rex Brothers was smiling, and wondering what all the fuss was about.

The lefty will pitch in his first Cactus League game on Monday, the last of the Rockies’ main relievers to get into a game this spring. Brothers is not hurt, but he’s working with bullpen coach Darren Holmes on some mechanical issues.

“We’ve been working on consistency, repeating my delivery, and getting ball out of the glove on time,” Brother said. “It’s pretty simple stuff. (Holmes) did his homework on me and we’ve been working together.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With two Gold Gloves already on his mantle, the next step for Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is maturing into a more consistent power hitter. If he does, all-star status awaits him.

Arenado certainly played the part against the Cubs on a perfect Saturday afternoon at Salt River Fields, where the Rockies held on to beat the Cubs 7-5 for their first victory of the Cactus League season after an 0-3 start.

Arenado lined a three-run homer over the left-field wall in the first inning off of former Rockies right-hander Jason Hammel. He followed up with a double to left off Chicago lefty Felix Doubront. Arenado’s homer was the first of the spring by a Rockies hitter.

New Rockies pitcher Kyle Kendrick throws during his first Cactus League game Friday at Tempe Diablo Stadium. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

TEMPE, Ariz. — An ability to stay poised, wiggle out of trouble and limit big innings were major reasons why the Rockies signed free-agent right-hander Kyle Kendrick.

Unfortunately, he had to display that ability in his very first inning in a Rockies uniform Friday afternoon against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The Angles loaded the bases with one out, but Kendrick escaped having allowed just one run.

The Angels went on to beat the Rockies 3-0, dropping the Rockies to 0-3 in Cactus League play.

“Physically, I felt great,” Kendrick said. “My command was obviously not very good. … I still have a lot of stuff to work on before the season starts.”

The Angels packed the bases on a leadoff single by Kole Calhoun, a walk by Mike Trout and a bloop single by Albert Pujols. Matt Joyce drove in Calhoun with a sacrifice fly, but Kendrick got Erick Aybar to fly out to shallow right and then struck out Collin Cowgill.

Scottsdale, Ariz. — Their lines didn’t look particularly good, but there was incremental progress for Rockies right-handers Jhoulys Chacin and Eddie Butler in their Cactus League debuts Thursday afternoon against the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields.

Arizona beat the Rockies 4-3, dropping the Rockies to 0-2.

Rockies right-hander Jhoulys Chacine is coming back from a shoulder injury. He made his 2015 Cactus League debut Thursday.(Getty Images file)

Chacin started and pitched 1 2/3 innings before he was lifted because his pitch counted reached 35, his early-spring limit. Chacin gave up two runs on two hits, with one strikeout and a walk. In the big scheme of things, what mattered most was how his shoulder felt.

“I felt very good, and I hope I can keep going like this all year,” said Chacin, who was pitching for the first time since June 28 when he was shelved because of a shoulder injury. “I threw a lot of changeups and sliders today because that’s what I’ve been working on. I have been working on the slider because that’s my strikeout pitch.”

Scottsdale, Ariz. — Jordan Lyles would normally wade into the Cactus League schedule, sticking to the basics. Fastballs, changeups. Location. But on Wednesday, Lyles leaped into the spring slate with his full arsenal.

The Rockies’ right-hander faced eight batters in two innings of work, allowing no hits with two strikeouts, one walk, two fly-outs, one ground-out, and a hit-by-pitch in Colorado’s 6-2 loss to Arizona at Salt River Fields.

“I wanted to throw everything,” Lyles said. “I usually start out slow throwing just fastball-changeup. But I really wanted to work in everything, especially the changeup. I probably threw six or seven of those. That was the gameplan going in. That was my second most-used pitch today.”

He struck out Cliff Pennington in the first inning, then used a changeup to K Nick Evans in the second.

Lyles likely is penciled in as the No. 3 or 4 pitcher in the Rockies rotation. But he’ll wait to see.

“I’m not sure. That’s up to Walt and maybe the front office to decide,” Lyles said. “I just have to do my job here in spring training, get the work in and be healthy in April.”

HITS

The task for Jon Gray in his first spring outing was to keep control of the game. No need to show off his ability. “We know his stuff,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. In facing eight batters over two innings, Gray did both. He was throwing fastballs in the 94 mph range before he ratcheted up to 97 with a put-out pitch against Arizona star Paul Goldschmidt.

“Oh yeah, I was saving that one for him,” Gray said. “I felt really good. I felt like I was mainly stable, didn’t panic. Had a little trouble with the first guy, coming out of the bullpen. But after that I just commanded the ball, kept it down, got some groundballs, used my changeup. I tried my best to control the game.”

…Daniel Descalso, the Rockies’ utility infielder acquired as a free-agent in December, hit the Rockies’ hardest ball of the day, a triple to right-center field in the fourth inning off Aaron Blair.

… Wilin Rosario, playing first base for the first time since last season, nearly turned a double play in the third inning after fielding a grounder, then going to second on first try. The throw back from Descalso was late.

MISSES

Rockies relievers Jairo Diaz and Yohan Flande, in their own unique ways, struggled.

Diaz, traded to the Rockies from the Angels for shortstop Josh Rutledge, threw 96, 97 and 98 mph fastballs. But he struggled with command. He allowed three runs on two hits with two walks and no Ks. He was yanked after two outs.

“It’s a big, big arm,” Weiss said. “And those guys who throw real hard, typically their command isn’t going to be sharp on March 4. But it’s a good-looking arm for sure.”

Flande got through a full inning, but allowed three hits and two runs. He did strike out two.

UP NEXT

Against Arizona again at Salt River, the Rockies will trot out Jhoulys Chacin and Eddie Butler for the first two, two-inning outings.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.